Favourite Movie Of The Week

American Hustle

• A fictional film set in the alluring world of one of the most stunning scandals to rock our nation, American Hustle tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that's as dangerous as it is enchanting. Jeremy Renner is Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down.
  - Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment
• 1978. When Irving Rosenfeld and Sydney Prosser meet, there is an instant emotional connection since they can see in the other someone like him/herself in what each wants in life. Both come from humble backgrounds, but are striving for a better life. They embark on a sexual relationship, despite Irving already being married to the brash and uncultured Rosalyn Rosenfeld, who he probably will not divorce for not wanting to leave her son, Danny Rosenfeld, who he has adopted and who he would not want to leave alone with his largely unfit mother. When Irving tells her, Sydney, to his surprise, is not repulsed but rather attracted to the fact that besides his legitimate businesses, he is also a con artist, specifically in loan scams which net him $5,000 per mark. Sydney believes she can help his scams by pretending to be British Lady Edith Greensley who has London banking connections. In doing so, she does indeed vastly improve the scams and their take. However, one of their marks ends up being Richie DiMaso, a low level FBI agent trying to make his mark in the agency, he and his team who pulled a sting on them. Richie knows that Sydney is not a Lady and does not have London banking connections but does believe she is a Brit named Edith Greensley. Richie makes a deal for them to help him nab four additional white collar criminals for their ultimate release without charges. Ultimately, Richie talks them into bigger fish than was originally intended in nabbing politicians and mobsters as the opportunity arises. Their initial target is Camden, New Jersey Mayor Carmine Polito, who is trying to revitalize Atlantic City as a gambling mecca, which requires an influx of investments in the millions. But in getting these offshore investments (which in reality don't exist), the bigger fish include congressmen and senators, who may be taking bribes in this revitalization, and a mobster named Victor Tellegio, the right hand man of Meyer Lansky. Beyond their marks finding out what they're doing which could be especially deadly in Tellegio's case, their collective problems include: Stoddard Thorsen, Richie's immediate supervisor, who denies Richie's expensive requests one after another in completing the sting convincingly; Rosalyn, who has her own self-interest as her primary focus even at the possible expense of Irving's life; and Sydney's relationship with Richie, who she initially seduces to keep him close "just in case", but with who she may really be falling in love.
  - Written by Huggo